


Igremorth

by Notsalony



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling, Igremorth
Genre: Aussie Boys, Aussie Magic, Aussie Wizards, Australian Wizards, Expanded lore, F/M, M/M, Magical Assassins, Mpreg, Original Background, Original Characters - Freeform, Secrets Unsealed, wizard wars
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-02
Updated: 2019-01-26
Packaged: 2019-07-05 21:27:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15872046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Notsalony/pseuds/Notsalony
Summary: Wizards live everywhere and can come from anywhere.  Even Australia, and sometimes they come from hidden places that no one else has ever heard of.





	1. A history

**Author's Note:**

> This is commissioner 8’s idea spun out.

In the year of our Lord 1752, in a small village on the coast of England, the wizard known as Byron Igremorth, founder of the original Igremorth Academy, was born to Susan and Calvin Igremorth.  Born a pure blood wizard, Byron was trained at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry under the tutelage of Headmistress Dilys Derwent, most well known for her services at St Mungo’s Hospital for the Magical Maladies and Injuries, which she held from 1722 to 1741 when she was called upon to become Headmistress of Hogwarts.  She was a fair and popular Headmistress who was well beloved by both students and faculty, resulting in her being named one of the most celebrated Heads to ever hold the position, a honor bestowed only thus far only to herself, Dumbledore, and Everard.   
  
Byron began his training at the age of 11 in the year of our Lord 1763, he was a child that showed great skill in transfiguring and charm craft.  And was one of a handful of students who, in his fifth year (1768), bore witness to the untimely death of Professor Derwent who gave her life saving the students.  A Goblin had attacked one of the students and infected them with Scrofula, also known as King’s Evil.  The child soon took ill with a fever, malaise, night sweats, and despite the best works of their heaters unexplained weight loss and was near death quite rapidly.  The disease spread and half the school was consumed in this deadly disease’s path.   
  
Professor Derwent, using an enchanting charm invented by Byron, already taking advanced classes in his fifth year, used the remainder of her magic and life span to transfer her good health to the children and take on all their sicknesses at the same time.  This selfless act cost her life but saved the lives of nearly two hundred students.  Byron made sure that his family’s money paid for her portrait to be hung in both Hogwarts and St Mungo’s.  But with the post empty, the seat was temporarily filled with a young Professor Eupraxia Mole.  Professor Mole taught a class on mystical law, and pulled double duty filling in as Headmistress and covering her class.  Given the changing political climates in the Wizarding world, her class was closed down by the board of the later part of the 1770’s.   
  
Headmistress Eupraxia Mole, most well known for her work in the year of our Lord 1876.  That self same year care taker Rancorous Carpe created an “elaborate” and cunning trap in an effort to remove Peeves, the residential poltergeist who had been spawned by a thousand years worth of mischief from the young students who walked the halls.  This trap consisted with a wide array and assortment of weapons that Carpe believed to be too irresistible to Peeves for the poltergeist to pass up, with a magically charmed bell jar, enchanted with as many containment charms as Carpe could get his hands on to contain the pest.  Unfortunately Peeves broke free, too strong and empowered by the students, resulting in the evacuation of the grounds for three days due to Peeves using the provided weapons, hurling them at student and faculty alike.  On the fourth day of his tirade Headmistress Mole drafted a peace treaty with Peeves.   
  
The terms of their contract stating that Peeves would relinquish the weapons, and in turn be given the privilege of swimming once a week in the toilets in the boy’s room in the ground floor lavatories.  Likewise he was given first refusal on any stale bread from the kitchens for the purpose of throwing the bread instead of weapons.  And was also granted a new custom-made hat by Madame Bondable, a lovely phantasmal cap made in the style of a jester’s cap to tickle the prankster’s fancy.  This resulted in Peeves’ surrender to the Headmistress and the resignation of Carpe who left the post over his failure and stark terror over what Peeves might do to him in retaliation.   
  
In the year of our Lord 1770, Byron left Hogwarts a full graduate with honors and went to work at a charm shop owned by one of his uncles, specializing in charms on sailing ships.  He helped craft a great deal of sea worthy wizarding vessels in the sixteen years he would work there.  It was due to changing political climates in the late 1770’s and mid 1780’s that caused his family to decide to reseed from public life and spent most of the next two years tending to his ailing parents who in 1788 passed away and Byron bought passage on a wizarding boat that his family had built before their shop closed, The Eldritch Maiden.  This ship is notable for the fact that it made the first maiden voyage from England to Australia in the year of our Lord 1788.   
  
Three and a half months at sea gave Byron time to think on what he would do with his life in this new uncharted and untamed land.  Aboard the ship were 95 Wizards and 80 Witches bound for this new world and seeking relief from the political turmoil in England at the time.  It was after they landed that they realized just how alien this new land was as they made their home in Botany Bay.  They founded Fort Willowdale across from the muggle fort and began to search and explore the lands around them.  It was in this location that they found the Blue Mountains range and Byron decided this would make a better location for a wizarding village, hidden from the elements and away from the muggles.  The Wizarding community of Azmar was founded in the year of our Lord 1789, by 1793 it was a booming town full of happy Witches and Wizards who were working hard to survive.   
  
Life in the Blue Mountains and the city of Azmar was bustling and while Byron searched the local areas he found a goblin citadel in ruins under the mountains.  Keeping this to himself he would sneak off to explore and map the ruins.  He discovered through his study of the ruins of Xiabherd, a Goblin Capitol city that had once been a hub of great power before the first Goblin War when the city went dark, was placed directly over a major node of the local lay lines.  Azmar cleared out the upper most parts of the citadel and decided to renovate.  Soon he had a solid five rooms working smoothly and he began to bring in a wizard he’d met on the journey.   
  
Gilbert Flakey, Gil to Byron, was a penniless pure blood wizard who’d spent the last of his family money on a ticket out of the UK.  He’d been a teacher at Hogwarts teaching arithmancy until he’d been sacked.  They did tend to look down on those who hid any sort of taint.  And while Byron may have believed, at least passingly, in the heritage of pure blood families, he’d been quite taken with the young man despite his turning fury three nights out of the month.  So the pair had struck up a friendship that eventually lead to more.  They’d only been unofficially courting for a few months, approaching the time to begin officially and out in public courting, when Byron pulled Gil down into the ruins and showed him what he’d done.   
  
He’d built a school for the children that had come with their parents and the children that were yet to be born. So in that five rooms Igremorth Academy began.  But that night, in the half light of the magical fires they’d used to light the room, Byron and Gil made love.  Christening what would be their labor of love for generations to come with their bare bodies, worshipping one another in the flickering light.  Later Gil would admit to having taken the Mother’s Milk potion and that that self same night that they basked in one another’s being, was the night that their son was conceived.   
  
They started with five students that year, old enough to begin training.  Arjean Ikzahr, a half British half French pureblood girl, Grace Adair, a muggleborn girl born amongst the local Australian wizarding community., Vexton Eqkey, a pureblood boy who welcomed learning from others, Kalina Uzar, a lovely girl born half Australian half Aborigine, and Ainslie Oxforn, a young half blood Australian boy, were the first class and learned one on one from Byron and Gil.  These five students would grow up to make the five houses of Igremorth.   
  
Ikzahr House, represented by the Bunyip, a creature that changes its shape to survive became a house that welcomed those who showed discipline, strength, and courage.  Adair House, represented by the Tahiwh, a dragonic shark water guardian, embodied those who seek truth, honor, and fidelity.  Eqkey House, represented by the Drop Bear, a creature that learned long ago to fight for its place in the world, became a place that welcomed those who were self reliant, industrious, and knew how to preserver.  Uzar House, represented by the Phantom Cat, an abnormally larger than life feline that captures the unseen moments of life, opened its doors to those who seek joy, vigor, and freedom.  And Oxforn House, represented by the Ningen, an ancient aquatic splinter ancestor of the Merefolk, became a place that calls those who values kinship, hospitality, and ancestry.  Together these five houses created the backbone of the school.   
  
As the five were ready to finish their schooling, they’d already been teaching the students for years, helping out where they could, and even inventing things as they went along.  By the time they were old enough to graduate they were given full time positions as teachers, and allowed to set up their houses, and ultimately cleaned out ancient goblin towers that went deep underground as their dorms for each of their students.  With a  conjoined common room made out of the first five rooms that Byron had cleaned for their schooling, the School was set to begin sorting.  But how to sort the students?  Kalina has a thought to this.   
  
A non bias guardian was created, a golem made from Goblin Iron was selected an animated, given the knowledge that it would need.  A chamber below the common rooms was cleared and set up with magical fires that would burn but not consume the herbs that she planted in the alcove that ran the walls of the chamber.  Then with a series of charms those who entered the chamber would enter the Dream Time and the spirit animal that represented the house they were supposed to be in would appear before the child and the guardian who would direct them to the right head of house.  And for a while this worked without a single problem.  Until Micheal Igremorth was of age.   
  
Micheal was an exceptional boy and had sparked a minor debate between the original five, who had grown up with him like a little brother to their group.  He was disciplined, strong, courageous, honest, honorable, loyal, self reliant, industrious, perseverant, joyful, vigorous, free spirited, friendly, hospitable, and mindful of where he came from.  So no one was quite sure which of the five schools he would be sorted into.  So he waited his turn on his day to get sorted in and when he entered into the herbal smoke and the Dream Time with the golem, they waited.  And waited.  And waited.  Finally they went in and discovered the problem.  The golem had been programs to take the student to the right head of house, but only if one spirit animal had stepped forward.  In front of Micheal, where the golem pointed, sat all five spirit animals.   
  
A decision was made that if they were to encourage all of his traits and train him properly he would have to be enrolled in each house.  But they weren’t sure how to do that until Vexton came forwards and revealed a time turner his family had been in possession of for some time.  A plan was hatched.  A spell was cast so that no one would notice what they were about to do, but they created an unofficial sixth house known as Igremorth House, represented by the school crest, and embodied all fifteen virtues.  Those who were sorted into Igremorth House would spend one day in each dorm, in each House, taking each class offered at the school, and use the time turner to experience five days to everyone else’s one.  Everyone would assume that these students were either in their house or in someone else’s house.  But the charm placed down by Arjean would prevent anyone from noticing that there was in fact a sixth house.  And thus Micheal began his time at the school and for a time they thought he might be the only one till in his fourth year a new first year was sorted into Igremorth House.   
  
They synced up their schedules and at midnight each night they’d meet in a hidden chamber that Micheal had been using to make sure that he didn’t run into himself or get caught with himself in a previous timeline.  The six doors lead to ways in and out of the chamber and allowed him to keep his secret.  But unbeknownst to his teachers he’d been using the turner to give himself an extra day to just rest or work so he explained to the new first year about this and they would spend the sixth day hidden in the chamber doing homework and comparing notes on what they’d seen and done.  They also began to fix the hidden chamber up so that they had their own common room and dorms that allowed them time away from everyone else.  Over the next few years their numbers would grow and eventually Micheal was made the head of Igremorth House.  He’d had to invest in a charm to expand the chain so that he could get all the students inside the time turner’s area of effect.   
  
And the six houses and the School would run smoothly until 1856 when the British Wizarding Government, having heard of muggle borns and half bloods being allowed into Igremorth, had decided to step up their anti muggle agenda in Australia and sent Ida and Ion Flaum to start a ministry approved school in Hobard, Tasmania. The wins arrived and began setting up shop.  They made it known that they intended to visit Igremorth Academy for the purpose of finding fault and closing it down in favor for their school known as The New Igremorth Institute for Magical Learning.  They arrived in the Blue Mountains and were shown to what they believed to be Igremorth, a cave like structure that was perfectly adequate but that had nothing to do with the actual school.  So nothing was really in any danger when the twins sneered at it and used their wands to collapse the cave.   
  
The heads weren’t happen but they bided their time and taught at the new school, but were forced to teach things the Ministry’s way.  This lasted till one of the Twins, Ida, found out that not all the teachers were pure bloods.  She dismissed them and told them to take the trash students with them, all the muggle borns and dirty half bloods.  All five teachers left and took most of the students.  Only the British pure blood students staying at the new school.  And as of 1890 a bitter Wizarding civil war broke out in Australia that lasted 10 years and claimed the new school, razing it to the ground in one attack over a break to ensure no one was in the school when it was destroyed.   
  
In 1888 the Ministry tried to restrict the issuing of wands to any witch or wizard in Australia to ensure that the rebels couldn’t have quality wands.  But in 1889 they realized that they hadn’t sold a single wand.  Even to the families that were on their side.  They weren’t buying British wands at all.  An inquiry was launched and it became apparent that the Igremorth descendants had respected the Aboriginal culture enough to teach them to make their own wands, giving them the ability to make their own wands out of whatever nature provided.  In turn the Aboriginal peoples were giving free wands of a higher and more attuned nature to any witch or wizard who asked.  The ministry tried for a year to stop this and to strong arm the situation into working in their favor, but mysteriously everything went to shit for them.  Shipments would be intercepted, resources confiscated, every decision they made was anticipated, there was nothing they could do.  Eventually Ida and Ion were taken hostage and their wands taken.  The pair were helplessly at the mercy of the rebels and the Ministry received demands.   
  
They had no choice but to acquiesce to the demands and the Igremorth Institute was rebuilt on an island that was edited out of the muggle memories the same year that the new Ministry building was relocated to the Royal Exhibition Building in Melbourne, in late 1900.  The members of Igremorth House secretly returned to the site in the Blue Mountains, and restored the original stronghold, eventually excavating it and joining it with the new school to collectively be called Igremorth.  The new school was mystically conjoined to the original school stronghold allowing for instant travel between them and allowed them to teach more classes and more students.   
  
The Minister of Magic in the Australian Ministry signed an act of Parliament that allowed for a branch of government to be created to deal with the use and deployment of Igremorth House students as covert assets through their sovereign domain in 1904.  Not that he or anyone else outside of the service know about it.  Their memories having been modified to remove it, and only the Head of Igremorth House knows the identities of the active students.  And whenever a Head is retiring they sit for a portrait where they have all their memories stored before they have their memories modified so that they don’t know anyone else who was in Igremorth House and can live out the rest of their lives in peace.   
  
These portraits are stored in the Hall of Wisdom on the upper level of the hidden chamber in Igremorth where the secret cash of knowledge that the Igremorth House agents have acquired over their years of spying, stealing, and killing for House and Country.  Legends have crept up from time to time.  About a secret cavalcade of assassins and thieves that strike in the dead of night to takedown those who cross a line.  No one knows that after the late 1990’s it became their mission to ensure that no one like Voldemort could ever rise again in any shape or form.  Even the British Minister and the American President signed orders allowing the Igremorth Agents to work within their domain before wiping their memories of it and burying the orders.  They are the silent hand working in secret to protect the world from the worst elements of itself.   
  
The Wizarding World reeled from the resurrection of Voldemort and the once again relying on Harry Potter to put the mad man down.  Then only a dozen years later the mad man’s daughter tricked two pure blood boys into using a time turner and nearly bringing their worst nightmare, her father, Lord Voldemort, back to life.  And that was when a squad was sent out.   
  


***

  
  
Harry and the other Aurors had their wands trained on the girl, holding her immobile.   
  
“We’ve got this boys.” A tall man with ebony hair cut short stood there in Auror’s robes and showed the proper paper work to indicate he was there to escort the prisoner to Azkaban.   
  
“How do we know he’s not one of’em?” Ron Weasley pointed his wand at the man.   
  
“Ron… we can’t second guess everyone forever…” Harry sighed.   
  
“Fine… What house were you in?” Ron narrowed his eyes.   
  
“Adair House.” He nodded his head.   
  
“Which school is that?” Harry frowned.   
  
“Igremorth, down under.” He smiled softly and Harry nodded.   
  
“I’ve heard of it.  That’s the one about truth and honor right?”   
  
“That’s the one.” He nodded.   
  
“So anti-Slytherin, works for me.” Ron relaxed.  “She’s all yours.  Just make sure she gets to her cell, she’s a tricky one.”   
  
“We’ll get her going where she’s supposed to be.” He nodded, casting a few quick charms to make her float unconscious so he could guide her out of the chamber where they’d captured her.   
  
“Something seem off about him?” Harry frowned.   
  
“A little, but he’s Australian.  It happens.” Ron shrugged.   
  
“I think I’ll ask Kingsley about him.”   
  
“It’s your time.” Ron shrugged again.   
  


***

  
  
“I… Will… Get… Free…” Delphini growled out as she tried to fight off the wards and charms that the Auror had put on her.   
  
“Do shut up you stupid little gnat.” He rolled his eyes before they were outside the Ministry’s prying eyes.   
  
“Where… where are you taking me…?” She panted, able to break loose enough to speak.   
  
“Some where you won’t have allies.”   
  
“Azkaban will hail me a queen!”   
  
“Good thing you’re not going there.” He held onto her and they sucked into a single point before reappearing inside a chamber on the other side of the globe far underground.   
  
“Hey Will, what’s up?”   
  
“I have Delphini Lestrange Riddle for processing.”   
  
“Chamber six.” The short guy nodded and pointed to a far door that had a strange squiggly rune on it.   
  
“I demand to know where I am!  I DEMAND TO….” Her lips fused shut.   
  
“I did say shut it.” He sighed pushing her floating body through the door before he hung up his robes on a coat rack and pushed her on into the chamber where there is a round space covered in runes in the center of the room.   
  
“…” She tries to speak.   
  
“Seriously?  You’re still talking?” He sighed as he gave her a shove and she floated over the runes that activated; the hover charm and the silencing charm both vanishing, making her land silently with what should have been a heavy thud, down on the runes.   
  
“…” She was yelling at him and realizing she had no voice.   
  
“Goblins had a curious way of dealing with wizards.  This is one of them.  Welcome to the holding chamber.  No magic can be cast inside it or called upon.  And it silences any wizard or witch trying to do magic.  You’re going to be in there till the boys who are going to pick your brain are ready for you.  Me… I’m going to go get something to eat and enjoy the fact that I don’t have to fucking listen to your fucking mouth again.  And if I’m lucky they won’t have me come take you to the final stages.” He shook his head.  She frowned.   
  
“For fuck sake.. you tried to take over the fucking world.  And you tried to bring back your _father_ who also tried to take over the fucking world.  So you’re going to be questioned, all the things you’ve done or know of being done will be extracted, and then what’s left of you will be put to death.” Her eyes got big.   
  
“Don’t try to play that card.” He shook his head.  “You broke an unwritten law, created because of your father.  So you’ll pay the price for what you did and what you tried to do.  And the penalty for that is immediate death after information extraction.  You’ll cease to be a problem by tea time.” He smirked.   
  
“…!”   
  
“No one cares.  You’re a stupid person who thought you had the right to dominate the world.  Sorry, doesn’t just work like that.  The people get their say.  And while they can be ignorant, stupid pack animals, they’re still in charge, not you.  Not your father.  And I’ll catch you never.” He waved and walked away leaving her alone in the chamber nodding at the Yara-ma-yha-who that was picking up his robes from the hook.   
  
“You need anything?  The hooks are kind of high up in here.” He helped undo the catch on the robes and handed them over to the small red frog like imp.   
  
“Thanks Will.”   
  
“You’re welcome.” He smiled and stood up and stretched.   
  
“You spoil them.” Will turned to see a shaggy haired man in a loose suit, his hair pulsing between brunette and blonde as he sat there at the desks Will was standing next to.   
  
“Aaron, you really should treat them better.” Will shrugged as he sat down.   
  
“They’re happy to serve.”   
  
“They’re nature spirits; it’s in their nature to help maintain things.”   
  
“And you think that they’re any better than the house elves the Brits enslaved?”   
  
“No.” Will sighed.  “I see both as an issue.  But at least I’m kind to them, I help out where I can, and I don’t ask insane things of them.”   
  
“Asking them to find the girl I shagged at the bar the other night’s boyfriend’s number because I thought he was cute isn’t insane.”   
  
“Maybe Aaron, but it’s a bit of an abuse.”   
  
“Not when it’s my personal Yara.” He smiled his impish smile as he leaned back in his chair.  They’d been partnered together since their sorting ceremony had put them both in Igremorth House together.  Wicked little thieving wretches… he’s pretty sure at least one teacher had put that on their records.  Will’s family had been furious.  Aaron’s laughed and bought him a new broom.  Most of Aaron’s whole family had been Uzar House for generations, and as far as they knew, so was Aaron.  Granted Will’s parents thought he was in Eqkey House.   
  
“So I put Delphini in the hole.” He nodded back to the door he’d come out of.   
  
“Wouldn’t want to be here.” Aaron smirked.   
  
“Anything new on the docket?” Will glanced at his desk and didn’t see anything in the in pile.   
  
“I think they’re waiting to see if Potter fouls things up by asking too many questions when the _dark queen_ up there doesn’t show up at Azkaban…” Aaron smirked.   
  
“And that’s where you’re wrong.” Will grinned as Rosy walked up and sat on his desk.   
  
“The duplicate in place?”   
  
“Officially… she took one look at Azkaban and her mind broke.” Rosy grinned.   
  
“And the truth?” Aaron arched a brow.   
  
“I’m damn good at what I do.” Rosy smirked.  She’d been officially sorted into Ikzahr House instead of the truth, she was Igremorth through and through.   
  
“Flesh golem?”   
  
“Oh that’d be telling Aaron.” She smirked at him.   
  
“Oh come on… you can tell us…”   
  
“And have to kill such a beauty… the men and women of the world would rise up and slaughter me for having to end such a radiant gift to their beds.” She kissed his forehead.   
  
“True.” Aaron smirked.   
  
“Gods you two.” Will shook his head.  “Any idea what we’re headed into next?”   
  
“Not heard anything as of getting in.” Rosy shrugged, her dark bushy hair in the shape of a slight sphere behind her head today.  “Anyone heard from Head?”   
  
“Nope.” Aaron shrugged.   
  
“And what exactly did you do for this mission?” She narrowed her eyes at him.   
  
“Who do you think got your id’s, the papers, the robes, and got you the access you needed to make sure that she got where she was _supposed_ to be?” Aaron stood up with his hands flat on his desk.   
  
“Aww.  Poor baby.  He’s all flustered that he won’t get credit.” Rosy grinned, patting him on the cheek.   
  
“Guys.” They both went silent when Will nodded and a large emu walked up to them, made of ghostly blue light.   
  
“ _MacDouglas, Daniels, Wright, my office.  We’ve got a surfacing._ ” The bird vanished into nothing.   
  
“Wonder who got sighted?” Aaron stood up, stretching as he flicked his wand and caused his desk to straighten up.   
  
“Dunno.  Just another face to be locked up.” Will shrugged as he stood up and walked towards Head’s office.  Not knowing what he was heading towards, or who was on his path now.


	2. A Mission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will, Rosy, and Aaron get their new mission.

“Sit.” Will and his team sat down, a tall distinguished man said, his mustache neat and tidy but his five o’clock shadow showing no signs of either becoming a beard or being utterly smooth.  His eyes were like ice water as he studied their faces and stood up from his paper strewn desk to begin to pace for a moment behind it.  The team glanced at one another, their eyes telling a silent tale as they watched their boss wend himself up.   
  
“Sir…” Will started.   
  
“Harun Harb.” The man finally said as he stood stock still under an engraving of three wands touching their tips and steepled his fingers as he studied their faces.   
  
“I’ve heard the name.” Aaron nodded.   
  
“Enlighten us.” The man behind the desk sat down and leaned back.   
  
“Harb is a known muggle torturer.  Likes to stock his prey and hunt for muggles he can ruin their lives and then make them rape and murder their families before making them relive it from the point of view of each of their family members before they ultimately are tortured to death.  At last count we’ve found his magical signature at seventy three confirmed family decimations in the last year alone for a total of three hundred and twenty two over the course of his adult hood.” Aaron straightened up.   
  
“Correct Wright.” Their boss sighed.   
  
“You’ve spotted him?” Rosy swallowed.   
  
“After a fashion.” The boss cleared his throat.   
  
“Gerald…” Will started.   
  
“I’ll thank you to call me Mr. Obavius here.” The old man, who’s hair was like wet flax turned his icy look on Will.   
  
“Sorry sir,” Will admonished.  “Mr. Obavius, what do you mean after a fashion?”   
  
“We’ve discovered his weak link.” Obavius leaned back, smile firmly in place as he tucked his hands into his black vest over his white shirt.   
  
“And what’s that then?” Will hated this game, he never had the temperament for it.   
  
“We found Matthews.”   
  
“The Auror killer?” Will sat back.   
  
“Yep.  He went dark about a month after.  Right when Harb was working over a family.”   
  
“But Matthews’ been off of the grid since the murder…”   
  
“Exactly.  He went into hiding.  His family has had no contact with him, and as far as anyone knew he was entirely cut off.”   
  
“How’d you find him, sir?” Aaron frowned.   
  
“He was spotted in public.”   
  
“Two years… and he’s just out in public?” Will blinked at him.   
  
“We don’t know.  That’s why you’re being sent in.  He’s got to pay for his crimes but he may know where Harb is hiding out.”   
  
“But last I saw on any intel they hadn’t been theorized to be together.” Aaron frowned.   
  
“Again, your team will be making contact and bringing Matthews into custody.  And with any luck he’ll lead you straight to Harb.” Obavius smiled.   
  
“But sir…” Will frowned.   
  
“Dismissed.”   
  
“B-”   
  
“Dismissed.” His voice echoed magically and he gave them a thunderous look to which they nodded and silently got up and left his office.   
  
“You know this is a bad idea right?” Will crossed his arms.   
  
“Why?” Aaron frowned.   
  
“Because you’re going to have to flirt?” Rosy smiled.   
  
“Oh we both know I have no problem flirting.” Aaron smiled.  “But we also all know I’m not the one who’s the field agent who goes out and becomes someone else.” He smirked and looked at Will.   
  
“Why me?”   
  
“He’s gay.  You’re gay.”   
  
“Oh boy.” Rosy sighed, stepping away from the pair of them.   
  
“And just what are you implying?” Will’s face looked a little red.   
  
“That maybe you should be the one trying to get in his pants because you know I suck at undercover or at trying to get in men’s pants.” Aaron shrugged.   
  
“And?”   
  
“And what?”   
  
“Why else do you think it should be me.” Will was openly glaring now.   
  
“Don’t do it.” Rosy had already sat down at her desk and cast a small bubble charm around the three of them to keep what Will was about to do quiet.   
  
“What… that out of the two of us you’d be the one who…” Aaron frowned, catching on to what he’d stepped into.   
  
“That I’d what.  What would _I_ be the one to _what_?” Will growled.   
  
“I told you not to.” Rosy sighed, picking up her paper but keeping her wand with one hand ready and stable to maintain her bubble and the other picking up her coffee as the paper suspended itself in mid air for her to hide behind as much as to read.   
  
“You’d be the one who at least enjoyed it.” Aaron sighed.   
  
“You think I like throwing myself at criminals?” Will’s voice got low.   
  
“No.  But I think you do like men, and I simply don’t.  And while you can fake it, pretty damn well in my case, but this isn’t some run of the mill pick pocket, or a reluctant witness.  This is a guy who killed an Auror.  For that we bring out the big guns.” Aaron rolled his eyes.   
  
“I…”   
  
“And if you get laid…”   
  
“Oh gods.” Rosy sighed, flicking her wand and gagged Aaron.   
  
“What he means is, you’re not dating anyone.  You haven’t had sex as far as any of us know in over nine months.  And we’re not tracking a guy who seems to get very protective of his boyfriends to the point that he’ll murder for them.  We need to determine if this is a one off or if he’s done this before.”   
  
“You think I’m going to date him?!?” Will turned on her.   
  
“I think you’re going to do whatever the fuck it takes to get him.” She crossed her arms.  She’d grown up fighting his angry out bursts and his fits and she’d grown quite immune to them.   
  
“Rosy…”   
  
“Don’t Rosy me.” She put her coffee down and he stiffened.  “You’re a damn good agent, and he wouldn’t be the first suspect you’ve had to sleep with.”   
  
“Rosy…” Will blushed.   
  
“You’ve wined and dined and more than once we’ve come in riding to the rescue only to find the pair of you _indisposed_.” She gave him a look.   
  
“I’ve never…”   
  
“The last time was months ago, but he was blowing you when we arrested him.” She leaned back.   
  
“fine.” He sighed, leaning his weight on the desk before sitting down and stewing on his rage before finally cooling off.   
  
“…” Aaron pointed to his mouth.   
  
“Do I have to?” Rosy looked put upon before smirking and flicking her wand and freeing him.   
  
“Ha. Ha. Ha.” Aaron dead panned.  “We good now.”   
  
“Yeah.” Will sighed as he sulked.   
  
“I know you don’t like to talk about it.  So we don’t bring it up, but you’re as big a flirt as I am once you’re in character.” Aaron shrugged.   
  
“I am not.” Will glared.   
  
“Please, if you your character demanded it, you’d be such a slut.” Rosy chuckled.   
  
“I’m glad you know me _so_ well.”   
  
“Will, _dear_.” Rosy stood up and walked over to his desk.   
  
“Yes?”   
  
“Stop being so self conscious.”   
  
“I just…. Am I as bad as Aaron?”   
  
“HEY!”   
  
“No.” Rosy smiled, pausing a moment to think about it as she sat on his desk.  “Aaron’s still the worst.”   
  
“My numbers say otherwise.” Aaron grumbled.   
  
“But you’re pretty buttoned up in here and out in your real life.  It’s when you’re into a character that you let go.  I’ve seen you seduce pretty boys when they were needed to get you something and when you just wanted to get off on the job.  Not a problem, because you keep it in character.  But I’m just saying, if this guy’s situation works out… maybe you get laid and get the bad guy.”   
  
“Mixing a little business with pleasure?”   
  
“I call it giving them the business end of your pleasure but whatever floats your boat.” Aaron shrugged, earning him a glare from the other two.  “What?”   
  
“He really isn’t aware.” Will sighed heavily as he looked up at Rosy.   
  
“Not even a little bit.”   
  
“What’d I say!?”   
  
“Sssh.  Mommy and Daddy are talking.”   
  
“How the hell do you two get to be the parents.”   
  
“Because we’re the adults in the room.” Both said at once and then smirked.   
  
“Whatever.” Aaron rolled his eyes.  He flicked his wand at the keyboard on his desk.  “I should _so_ book you into the worst op house ever.” He muttered.   
  
“I’m thinking two apartments?” Will looked up at Rosy.   
  
“As close together as we can and as close to the target as we can.  Will’s apartment we can setup as him moving in, and ours can be setup as full going so we can work out of it.”   
  
“We playing house?” Aaron smirked.   
  
“Nope, just good friends, and roommates… because if we try to _date_ on the job, I’ll likely end up kneeing you in the crotch again.”   
  
“Berlin was fun up till then.”   
  
“Berlin sucked after you put your tongue down my throat to sell the part.” Rosy looked at him.   
  
“Well I have the main place already booked in the area.  But we’ll have to scout while we set up Will’s place.  Because we don’t even know if Matthews is here.”   
  
“Spotted doesn’t mean located.” Will added.   
  
“So the furniture store!” Rosy grinned.   
  
“Oh god, no post modern crap again, I hate that shit.” Aaron sighed dramatically, a dip of his wand causing his desk to pack up.   
  
“I like the funny little muggle chairs….” Rosy smiled.   
  
“That are utterly impractical.” Will smiled.   
  
“If I let you have that god-awful pond scum you call beer on this mission can I have one impractical chair?” She glanced at Aaron.   
  
“Deal.” Aaron pointed at her.   
  


***

  
  
“Hurry up.  I want a drink.” Aaron sulked as they walked into the most ancient parts of the Goblin dungeons under the school proper where they were greeted by hundreds of the Yara-Ma-Yha-Who as they scurried along.   
  
“You always want a drink.” Rosy smirked.   
  
“And what’s wrong with that!?” He glared at her.   
  
“Nothing.  If you don’t let it get in your way.” She smirked.  “Yarl?” A red Yara-Ma-Yha-Who with blue markings came running,   
  
“Yes ma’am?”   
  
“Is my chair still in?”   
  
“Absolutely miss.” He nodded, snapping his finger and a red and blue shower of sparks brought a chair into being in front of her. It looked like an off white tongue or leaf that came up almost like a feather from a singular point, to cub the backside, and then came up at an odd twisted angle.  It almost looked like it was made of wicker but it was more soft and forgiving, but looking utterly impractical as it sat there.   
  
“I don’t know why you bother with that.” Aaron sighed.   
  
“Probably for the same reasons you cling to that bottle of old piss you call booze.” She snorted and flicked her wand, levitating the chair.   
  
“Do you have any other requests miss?” Yarl looked up at her.   
  
“We need a settled couple of… six years who are drastically different but making it work.” She smiled.   
  
“You and Agent Wright?” He glanced back at the wizard.   
  
“Correct.”   
  
“Understood. “ He made a clicking noise and other beings like himself came running in, their hands glowing as the stones of the dungeon moved revealing large white cubical that floated down and moved around one another till they were in a blank room and Rosy put her chair down.   
  
“Address miss.” Another one raised a hand.   
  
“Here you go Yazzi” Rosy handed the little creature a slip of paper.  She raised her tiny hands and the space began to morph and shape itself to the building at that location.  Soon they were standing in a white plastic like sound stage that fully wrapped around them, sealing them in the apartment replica.   
  
“I want something comfortable in this place.  We don’t know how long we’ll be here.” Aaron frowned.   
  
“We have the sofa from your last long term assignment.” Yazzi made a noise as she looked at Yarl.   
  
“Sweet!”   
  
“Why do you still have it?” Rosy tilted her head as she studied the smaller beings.   
  
“no one else wanted it.” Yarl shook his head.   
  
“Sound about right.” She smirked at Aaron.   
  
“You’re just jealous my furniture is comfortable.” Aaron scoffed at her as he crossed his arms and watched the sofa be setup for him.   
  
“You’d better include the full tv package for them.” Will sighed.   
  
“Oh it’s that sort of assignment.” Yarl nodded and with a wave of his hand a large flat screen formed on the wall.   
  
“If I can make contact with the target we’ll need to entertain him at the safe house.  Or at my apartment once we get it selected.  But I’ll be moving in the old fashion way.”   
  
“Oh?” Yazzi frowned at him.   
  
“We need to be seen as established, he needs to be seen moving in.”   
  
“Understandable.” Yazzi nodded.  “Your standard package?”   
  
“Y-”   
  
“No, he needs the sexy athlete package.” Aaron smirked.   
  
“Are we expecting him to have to seduce the target?” Yazzi turned to Aaron.   
  
“Yes.”   
  
“Aaron…”   
  
“I’ll add a better bed.” Yazzi nodded.   
  
“Why would I…”   
  
“I’d say lots of sturdy semi flat surfaces… maybe some stuff that isn’t easily broken when it’s swept off of a desk or a table…”   
  
“Aaron.” Will’s tone was hard.   
  
“Oh please, you know how long it took us to piece together the shite you broke with that one guy?” Aaron teased.   
  
“Aaron, leave it.” Rosy touched his shoulder.   
  
“But…”   
  
“Aaron.  Leave. It.” She stated calmly but her tone letting him know to drop the subject entirely.   
  
“Okay.” He sighed and shut up, but fixed her with a look that spoke volumes of how much they’d talk about this when Will wasn’t around.  He noticed of course but he didn’t say anything.   
  
“We’ll have your package ready and in a storage unit near them.” Yazzi nodded.   
  
“Should be number 11 I think.” Yarl handed Will a key with a tag.   
  
“You already have a storage container?” Will arched his brow as he studied the small creature.   
  
“We have a little bit of everything here.” He chuckled before waving his hand, carpets and artwork began to cycle through, Rosy and Aaron nodding and pointing as things rotated in and out.  Soon they had most of the place decorated on the white walls.  They moved through the flat adding places here and there and changing things till they had things set the way they wanted them to.   
  
“I think that covers it.” Rosy smiled and nodded.   
  
“Okay then.” Yarl nodded and all the others of his kind walked away, leaving him and the three wizards.  “Do you have all your things?”   
  
“Accio kit.” Will held up his hand and his work case came flying in and he nodded.   
  
“Ours are still in there.” Aaron nodded.   
  
“Okay.” Yarl nodded.  He raised his hand and with a snap, the white of the walls bled into itself revealing that they were in the already set up apartment.   
  
“I never get used to that.” Aaron smiled, a slack jawed expression on his face as he marveled at the magic around them.   
  
“If you need me, I’ll be in the panty, working on the menu plans.” Yarl nodded.   
  
“There’s no need…” Rosy started.   
  
“You’re a wizarding family from the Australia, it only makes sense that you’d have one of my kind instead of a house elf.  This part of the world is known for the unusual and makes it common place. So any wizard hiding here would seem as if he fit in by being different.  So I’ll be setting up the staff and the meals.”   
  
“If you put fixings for a sandwich in the fridge…”   
  
“I’ll have a platter out to you.”   
  
“It’s just us.” Will protested.   
  
“And we don’t know if he’s got any wards up and running. So for now we act the part.  The ward stone I placed in here should keep us protected from any active communications surveillance, so we can speak freely.  But he could be aware of my presence, and attempting to conceal me now might alert him to something being off.  For now, we do our jobs and we catch this target.” Yarl smiled and hopped off to the other room.   
  
“I don’t like having him wait on us…” Will sighed.   
  
“Yarl’s been with me since before I went to school with you lot.”   
  
“I know Rosy.  I know.” Will sighed.   
  
“He’s just not that _hands on_ with his servant.” Aaron chuckled.   
  
“I don’t have Yazzi waiting on me hand and foot.”   
  
“And you think I have Yati doing that?” Aaron narrowed his eyes.   
  
“Somedays.” Will crossed his arms.   
  
“Boys.” Rosy glared.   
  
“They want to serve, so I took Yati and her clan into my family and gave them a place to serve.”   
  
“Sounds like a fancy way of saying the slaves came to you asking to be enslaved.” Will glared back.   
  
“Oh gods.  Can we not?” Rosy sat down in her chair and both boys stopped talking and looked at her.  “Wha…”  But she never got to finish that question, as with a mighty creak, her favorite chair collapsed under her.   
  
**_Crash_**   
  



	3. A routine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will starts staking out and trying to track down his mark.

There was a light mist early in the morning, and Will was bent over his own knee tying his shoe laces by hand while he watched his target leave the building, and start jogging.  The rain turning his corn silk hair almost black as he ran, doing a quick scan for magic, Will cast a wandless tracking charm and staid a good distance away from Ben as he ran.  Matthews, he told himself, not Ben, he’s not a person he’s a target.  A target Will had been tailing for the better part of a week now under different spells and enchantments to prevent him from noticing him.  He had a plan that was slowly forming on how he was going to approach the target but it wasn’t time yet.   
  
Ben Matthews has the one time boyfriend to Harun Harb, and was wanted for murdering an Auror on Harb’s behave.  He’d been on the run ever since.  And it seemed that was literal.  Matthews was a good deal lighter and more built since his vanishing from wizarding life.  And oddly it seemed to agree with him.  But that wasn’t for long.  Once Will got in close enough to either find out where Harb was or to capture Matthews, this chase would be over and he could get back to his life.   
  
They rounded the corner and Will knew enough to change his running up so it didn’t look like he was following the target all that much.  And he probably would have succeeded at this if it hadn’t been for the old woman.  Will was on the opposite side of the street but he saw Matthews dodge to avoid the woman but it was too late, she was startled and threw her stuff up into the air.  Without thinking Matthews produced a wand and spelled the items to land in his arms so he could catch them and hand them to the little old lady as she spun back around, confused and disoriented.   
  
“Are you alright ma’am?”   
  
“yes… yes… I… wha… oh you caught them…” She realized he was handing her the packages.   
  
“Yeah.”   
  
“How ever did you manage that?!” She looked up at him.   
  
“Just got very lucky.  Sorry for giving you a fright.”   
  
“Oh that’s quite alright.  Most excitement I’ve had for a month.” She chuckled as she waved him good bye and now he was jogging behind Will and he wasn’t sure he liked that.  But it did sell the cover that he wasn’t following the guy but he needed a means to make contact with this guy on some level so that it didn’t make it weird that he was going to be on this guy’s running path.  He stretched at the next stop and pretty soon Matthews caught up with him.   
  
“Thought I was one of the only ones out this way.” Will said as they both stretched.   
  
“Sorry?” Matthews looked concerned.   
  
“The wand.” Will looked around before slipping his out where he could show it off before slipping it back.   
  
“You’re a wizard?” Now he did look worried.   
  
“Yeah, my mates moved out here years ago, better quality of life and all.  And I had a messy break up, needed a place to stay so I came to crash here.  And sort of wore my welcome a bit thin.” Will chuckled.   
  
“oh?” Matthews walked over to him.  “Where you headed now then?”   
  
“Not really thinking that far ahead.  I mostly went for a run and then it started raining and then I saw this building a couple blocks back had a place to rent so I applied and I’m mostly waiting to see if I get in.”   
  
“Tall brick place with pink flowers out front?”   
  
“You know it?  I’m not wasting my time am I?”   
  
“No, no.  It’s good.  It’s actually where I’m living.”   
  
“Oh thank the gods.  I can not tell you how petrified I was that I’d be the only wizard living in a building full of muggles.  Don’t get me wrong.  Nothing wrong with them, just have to keep telling myself no magic in public.” He sighed.   
  
“First time living with muggles?” Matthews smiled.   
  
“Can you tell?”   
  
“Yeah.  Listen, it’s not so bad.  My first time I had to get a bunch of repair books on how to do stuff without magic.  It was like cramming for my O.W.L.s again but this time I was trying to figure out how to live.  And it’s not so bad.  It’s kind of nifty how they’ve figured out how to do so much.” He smiled.  “Want to jog back to the building and see if they approved you?”   
  
“Sure!” Will smiled.  “Mostly because I have no clue where I am.” He looked around confused.  “Uh… that way?” He pointed in the wrong direction.   
  
“Over this way.” Matthews gestured.  “Not the best sense of direction?”   
  
“I can cast point me in record time…”   
  
“Ah.” He chuckled and led the way as they finished off their jog.  They finished it off outside the building and went into the office where Ben had been approved, nothing like having an entire magical department behind making places like this just accept him at the drop of a hat.   
  
“Will by the way.” Will stuck his hand out.   
  
“Ben.” Matthews stuck his hand out.  “Want me to walk you up so you can see the place?”   
  
“Absolutely.  Maybe I can keep from getting lost in here.” He chuckled as he followed Matthews up the stairs and they found the flat quickly and with a laugh Will said it wasn’t likely he could get lost in here, yet.  And then they went into his new place and looked around.   
  
“Planning on moving in by magic?” Ben glanced at him.   
  
“Sort of.  My friends have help and they’ll glamour them to look like moving men so that it at least LOOKS normal as to how I move in.”   
  
“House elves?”   
  
“Sort of… just more toad like and red.”   
  
“Never seen that before.” Matthews frowned.   
  
“I think they’re more of a regional thing.”   
  
“You have one of these creatures too?”   
  
“Sort of.  He officially belongs to me… but we have more of a relaxed relationship.” Will walked around pretending to plot out where things would go.  He’d had a week to scope this space out and work out where everything was going well in advance.  He just wanted to look more like he didn’t know what he was doing and wasn’t sure how to set things up.   
  
“At least you’ll have some help around here.” Matthews chuckled.   
  
“And just what does that mean?” Will blushed.   
  
“Nothing, nothing… I just know what it’s like for a wizard trying _not_ do magic.” He chuckled.   
  
“Maybe I can borrow your books?” Will looked hopeful.   
  
“I suppose…” Matthews bit his lip.   
  
“THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU.” Will let himself melt into the role.  “I can’t tell you how much better this is making this whole situation.”   
  
“I take it your ex was a witch?” Matthews was looking around the apartment noting it was almost an inverse of his own lay out.   
  
“Wizard actually.” Matthews glanced at him.   
  
“You’re into men?”   
  
“Yep.” Will nodded. “Have been all my life.  Don’t get me wrong, women can be hot, but…men… that’s where my bread is buttered.”   
  
“Or where you get your cream.” Matthews smirked.   
  
“Cheeky.  I’ll remember that.  So what about you?”   
  
“Same.  Always been into blokes.” Matthews shrugged. “Not that my folks really cared.  So long as I dated good boys they could show off to their high society friends then everything was great.”   
  
“And when they weren’t?” Will leaned against the wall.   
  
“Then I was better not seen and not heard and not thought of.” He sighed.  “But I had a really bad break up a while back and decided I needed to get some clarity from the whole thing and wound up out here.”   
  
“What’s the dating life like around here?” Will bit his lip.   
  
“Wouldn’t know.  I haven’t… been with anyone since my ex.”   
  
“Really?” Will frowned.   
  
“Yep.  I thought we were it, that we were great… and I was fooling myself.  I was only seeing what I wanted to see and not who he really was.  And when I realized who he really was, it was too late.”   
  
“What happened?” Will put his hand on Ben’s shoulder.   
  
“Same old story.  Boy falls for the bad boy and realizes how bad he is and ruins his life for the bad boy who couldn’t care less so long as the sex is great.” He shrugged.   
  
“That doesn’t sound healthy….”   
  
“It was toxic as a doxie’s kiss.  But he’s not my problem anymore.”   
  
“You don’t keep in touch?”   
  
“Nope.  And I like it that way.  He doesn’t know where I am, I don’t know where he is.  It works out.”   
  
“But you miss him, don’t you?”   
  
“I miss who I thought he was.  I don’t know or want to know the person he is, and I don’t miss that person at all.”   
  
“Sorry for prying.” Will squeezed Ben’s shoulder.   
  
“It’s okay.  You guys didn’t end on good terms either?”   
  
“He threw a hex at my head that put a hole in the wall. I decided it was time to see other people.” Will wasn’t lying, when the last target he’d seduced found out the truth, he’d tried to murder Will.   
  
“I don’t get why people can’t just put the wands down and talk things out.” He shrugged and Will was starting to wonder if this was really the guy they were looking for.  If there hadn’t been footage of him murdering the Auror, Will would have laid money that he’d never have killed him in a million years.  But here he was, standing there, a perfect match for the face of the stone cold killer that he was sent here to take out… and pump for information… only he wasn’t so stone cold and Will was starting to wonder about his being any kind of killer.  That might complicate things.  He needed information on Harb.  And his orders were to get the information anyway he could, which included direct extraction if subterfuge didn’t work out.   
  
No.  No.  He told himself again and again.  They had the right man.  They had to have.  The Auror’s clothes had been tested, there was no trace of polyjuice or any other magic that would have shape changed someone else.  And it was clear that it had to be this man.  He just wasn’t sure what had possibly changed between then and now.  Maybe this was all an act?  That had to be it.  Ben was just a good actor.  No.  He stopped himself.  Not Ben.  Never Ben.  This was Matthews, a target, nothing more.  He couldn’t let himself grow attached to him.   
  
He couldn’t…. he couldn’t.  He knew that.  He kept telling himself.   
  
“I know the feeling.” Will sighed, shaking his head.  “And on that somber note, I need to get back to my friends, tell them I thankfully have a place to move into, and make plans.  I’ve been here a short time, the weather always like this?”   
  
“Oh no, no no.  Sometimes it rains.” Matthews smiled.   
  
“Isn’t it raining now?” Will frowned.   
  
“No.  This is a light breeze.  You’ll know when it rains.” Ben chuckled and walked out with Will, letting him lock up behind him as he went.   
  
“What’s the difference?”   
  
“Have you ever heard of a monsoon…?”   
  


***

  
  
“How’d it go?” Rosy asked, standing over a pot that she was using her wand to slice vegetables into.   
  
“He showed me my new apartment.”   
  
“He what?” Aaron poked his head in from the other room.  “Weren’t you saying this morning it was another two weeks at least before you made contact.”   
  
“And then he startled an old lady, whipped his wand out while she had her back turned, used his magic to catch her groceries and packages, and then played it off as he got really lucky.  It was too perfect an opening.”   
  
“For what mate?” Aaron frowned.   
  
“For me to reveal I’m a wizard, completely inept and finding places in this new city I’m only in because my two best friends are kind enough to let me move in after my ex tried to blow my skull off my head and hit the wall first.”   
  
“Oh…. So sort of the truth.” Aaron nodded.   
  
“He buy it?” Rosy asked as she set the contents of the pot to stirring itself.   
  
“Yeah.  But… he says he doesn’t talk to Harb.”   
  
“You actually got him to open up about that today?” Rosy chuckled.   
  
“Damn it.” Aaron came in and dropped coins on the table beside her before stocking off.   
  
“What’s this then?”   
  
“We had a bet.” Rosy grinned.   
  
“If you’d charm him into telling you what you wanted to know within one day of meeting him.” Aaron added.   
  
“I bet you’d get him to talk on the first day.”   
  
“I was betting you’d get him to do it after you slept with him.” Aaron sighed.  “Unless you slept with him in your empty flat?” He asked hopefully.   
  
“Fully clothed, no sex, just two blokes finding out they’re into blokes and talking about bad exes.”   
  
“Seriously, how do you do that?” Aaron sighed, throwing his arms up in the air and walked off.   
  
“About the same way you make the waitresses always remember your order but totally go foggy as fuck on ours.” He shouted after Aaron who flipped him off.   
  
“You’ll just feed his ego.” Rosy warned as she summoned some coffee over to them.  “So?”   
  
“First impressions?”   
  
“Spill.”   
  
“He’s quiet, kind, funny, down to earth, and caring.  And if I hadn’t seen the footage of him killing that Auror to know his face so well… I’d have told you hands down after today that he wasn’t the one who did it.”   
  
“Really?” She sipped her drink.   
  
“Really.  I keep telling myself it’s just an act, he’s trying to blend in as much as I am… but this… something is up.”   
  
“Imperioed maybe?”   
  
“You know I don’t think a single one of Voldemort’s lackeys was ever actually Imperioed till after he came back and used that to empty Azkaban.”   
  
“You’re probably right.  But if away from Harb he’s this great stand up guy… “   
  
“Then why’d he kill for Harb?”   
  
“Yeah.” Rosy nodded.   
  
“Dunno.  That’s why we’re going to have to take the time to crack him slow.”   
  
“So you’re still on target?”   
  
“Yes.  He knows my friends are lending me their servants to help me move in, and that I’m going to be low key or trying to be low key to not let the muggles know I’m a wizard.” Will smirked.   
  
“Seriously?  You’re going muggle for this one?” Aaron shouted.   
  
“He’s lending me books on how to do things the muggle way.  He apparently went to a shop and bought all the how to books he could find.  So he could blend in with muggles and do things their way and use the right terms for things.”   
  
“Blood hell.  Either he’s better at our job than we are or something’s fucking weird with him.” Aaron walked in and summoned a bottle of his beer.   
  
“I’m telling you something is off here.  I don’t know what.  But something is seriously fucking off with this one.”   
  
“And it has nothing to do with he’s cute?”   
  
“Please, Aaron’s cute and I don’t stop wanting to bust his balls for shit.” Will snorted.   
  
“Aaron’s also so straight you can set arrows by him.  And he’s not the cute one who’s pants you’re trying to get into or as close to in to as you can.”   
  
“true.” Will sighed.   
  
“But you’re right.  This was supposed to be a milk run, in and out, then back home safe as houses.  But we knew there was a chance it’d take longer so we set up the necessary details.  And you selling your back story already means we’re in that much quicker.  Is he helping you move in?”   
  
“He might have hinted on it…” Will blushed.   
  
“Why do I think that’s not the only thing he _hinted_ on….” Aaron smirked.   
  
“Go check the heat on the pot.” Rosy swatted at him and he rolled his eyes before walking off.  “Ignore him.  The point of the matter is, we just need to decide how deep we’re willing to go to get what we want out of him.”   
  
“Yeah…” Will nodded.   
  
“The bowels of hell lay wide for thee of dragon woman.” Aaron bowed at Rosy who swatted at his head. “And I think what she means is, are you going to be fucking this one or are you going to be bending over for him?”   
  
“That is none of your business.” Will glared at Aaron.   
  
“Just saying… it’s deeper if he’s up your arse.”   
  
“Aaron….” Rosy glared at him.   
  
“Tell me I’m wrong.”   
  
“You’re not, but you’re crass and you’re picking.”   
  
“Just trying to get him to admit it. We’ve barely started, it’s starting to look like a pear shaped job, and you’re bloody well having the _talk_ with _him_.” He shook his head walking away.   
  
“I don’t need the talk.” Will glared at Aaron.   
  
“Then what do you need?” Rosy put a finger up in front of Aaron.   
  
“To dry off, double check my kit, get a warm meal in my belly, and plan to start moving in tomorrow.”   
  
“Maybe the rain will let up by then.” Aaron sighed.   
  
“about that… apparently this is the good weather.”   
  
“What fresh hell have you brought me to that this dismal showing is the _good_ weather?” Aaron sighed as he flopped down in the other room, determined to find something to watch to take his mind off of his horrible news.   
  
“He’s such a child.” Rosy shook her head.  “But what exactly do you mean that this is the good weather?” She glanced at Will.   
  
“Two words.” Will looked her dead on.  “Monsoon. Season.”   
  
“blood fucking hell.” She sighed, put her cup down and pinched the bridge of her nose.  “okay.  So I’ll turn some spell-o-tape into plastic sheets and we’ll cover everything.” She sighed.   
  
“You might want to freshen up your local knowledge.”   
  
“Yeah.  Probably better.” She picked her cup up and headed in to the study.  “Stew will be up in a couple minutes.”   
  
“GOOD!” He checked the pot before getting a refill on his coffee; pointing his wand at him he cast a drying charm and thought about his next move.   
  
Little did he know that across town there was another wizard thinking the same thing, or another wizard not far from him who was already thinking of his next move.


	4. A Contact

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will has made contact, now it’s time to start the process of moving in, not only to the flat, but to making his way into Ben’s life in such a way that Ben won’t even remember a time when Will wasn’t there in his life.

The plastic sheets were a godsend the following morning as it appeared to be raining even harder.  They managed to cast a good enough glamour that they made their little red servants look like slightly short muggles and they drove a van that they’d requisitioned for the move.  And so they’d found themselves parked out front holding the door and directing the movers up the stairs, while Will setup house.  Ben had come in to check on him at one point while Rosy was out at the truck.  Aaron was in the bathroom trying to find a drying charm strong enough to warm the chill from his bones.  He’d looked like a drowned rat after they stepped outside.   
  
“Lovely day for a brisk sprinkle isn’t it?” Ben smiled at him.   
  
“That’s what we’re calling it?” Will was unpacking his coffee maker in the kitchenette.   
  
“Did you think this was rain?” He heard a noise from the other room. “What was that?” Ben jumped a little.   
  
“That’s Aaron.  I’d introduce you but he’s not sociable when he’s wet.”   
  
“He’s living in the wrong place if he hates water… especially this time of year.”   
  
“Yeah… but his wife loves the rain…” Will smiled.   
  
“AND SHE’S EVIL!” Aaron hissed from the other room.   
  
“They like that to each other?” Ben blushed.   
  
“All the time.  You get used to it.  Or they learn to tone it down in front of you.  I’ve known them since we were kids, so I’m used to it.”   
  
“Why do I think that’s a story full of tales to hear?” Ben grinned.   
  
“Oh there is.  There’s a lot of things that I could tell you about the things those two got up to.” Will smirked glancing at the door to the loo.  “Like, the time Rosy cast a style charm on his hair and made it look like a French poodle till she eventually let it fall.” He smirked.   
  
“She didn’t?!?” Ben gasped.   
  
“She did.” Aaron shouted from the other room.  “They thought it was so funny they took a photo.  It’s one of the only photos I’m scowling in, and I don’t blame the me in the photo for continuously trying to set the picture on fire.” Aaron finished.   
  
“He’s a little touchy about it.”   
  
“Only a little.” Ben smiled as he poked at one of the boxes.  “You actually marked the boxes?”   
  
“Yep.  Not my first move.  I like having a battle plan.” Will smiled brightly before hearing footsteps.  “Rosy, we’re in here!”   
  
“Did sir mopes-a-lot finally get dry?” She chuckled before turning the corner carrying a stack of boxes to notice who was actually with Will.   
  
“No, he’s still fussing in the loo.” Will rolled his eyes hard.  “Ben’s in here helping me in here.  Rosy, Ben.  Ben, Rosy.  This is the guy who helped me find my way; he’s the one I was talking about.  Ben, this is Rosy, she who created the infamous poodle hair.”   
  
“Told you about that did he?” She grinned as she shifted boxes to shake his hand.   
  
“Yeah.  He was kind of proud about how it messed with Aaron was it?”   
  
“Yep.  He REALLY NEEDS TO LEARN TO DEAL WITH WATER!” She smirked as she shouted.   
  
“You can get bent.” Aaron lamely.   
  
“Not your best honey.” She sat the box over and knocked on the door.  “You want me to do it?”   
  
“yes?” He sighed and let her in, chuckling at him for being still dripping wet.   
  
“My gods… did you stand in the tub with the water running while casting the charm?” She snickered.   
  
“Ha. Ha. Ha.” Aaron dead panned.   
  
“Hold still.” She pointed her wand at him.   
  
“Cover your ears.” Will whispered.   
  
“Why would I….?”   
  
“Trust me.” He grinned and they covered their ears.   
  
“BLOODY FUCKING HELL WOMAN ARE YOU TRYING TO MELT MY NUTS OFF!” Aaron screamed at the top of his lungs.   
  
“I think the neighbors heard that….” Ben rubbed his ears.   
  
“Yeah… that’s why first thing I did today was cast silence charms.  Aaron and water usually means a lot of angry cursing.  No one can hear us in here, but we can hear anything going on near us.”   
  
“Nice spell. I could have used something like that a time or two.” Ben smiled.   
  
“I’ll have to teach you when you bring the books over.”   
  
“Speaking of… welcome to the building.” Ben handed him a book on putting furniture together from a crate.   
  
“Well fuck me dead I didn’t think you’d actually bring one.”   
  
“I’m sorry…?” Ben frowned.   
  
“Sorry, language barrier, means you shocked me.”   
  
“I’ve noticed a lot of… different words for things, you didn’t go to Hogwarts did you?”   
  
“Naw.  Igremorth all the way.”   
  
“Really?” Ben blinked.  “I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who went there.”   
  
“You’ve met two and a fifth.”   
  
“A fifth?”   
  
“You’ve met Aaron’s voice and his swearing… which I’d say is a good fifth of him.” Will smirked.   
  
“I can hear you, you know that right.” Aaron dead panned.   
  
“Love ya mate.”   
  
“Fuck you.” Aaron came out of the bathroom, his clothes a little smaller and his face a little red, and his hair was blown back.   
  
“Cor… what happened to you?” Ben looked at him.   
  
“My wife.  She thinks she’s _so_ funny for figuring out how to daisy chain a spell that effectively blasts you with a day at the beach.” He started fussing with his hair.   
  
“You’re dry aren’t you?” Will smirked.   
  
“in places I’m not meant to be dry.” He muttered.   
  
“Oh but those are the best parts to dry up…” Rosy smiled brightly as she came back out. “You should see him, he shrinks to so _tiny_ …”   
  
“I’LL SHOW YOU BLOOMING TINY!” He stalked towards her.   
  
“I’ll come back… I…” Ben grinned and waved before ducking out the door narrowly avoiding Aaron’s shoe that he chucked at Rosy.   
  
“Good job guys.” Will chuckled.   
  
“I will thank you to give that back.” Aaron held out his hand.   
  
“Not on your bloody life.” Rosy sat down on the sofa holding the shoe like her prize from scooping it up off the floor.   
  
“it’s my shoe…” Aaron pouted and Will nodded, waving his hand and the door sealing behind Ben who’d already hit the stairs.   
  
“Coast is clear.”   
  
“So that’s him.” Aaron nodded.   
  
“Yep.” Will nodded.   
  
“I can see what all the fuss is about.”   
  
“Really?” Rosy tilted her head.   
  
“I’d have said he didn’t do it too.” Aaron frowned.   
  
“Which doesn’t match what we know does it?”   
  
“Nope.” Aaron nodded.  “Which means we have a problem here.”   
  
“Yeah.” Will nodded.   
  
“Options?” Aaron looked between his friends.   
  
“Surveillance and we go ahead with the plan.” Rosy nodded.   
  
“The game is on.” Will nodded, opening the next box.   
  


***

  
  
“Fancy running into you here.” Will smirked as he saddled up behind Ben in line at the local coffee shop.   
  
“Figured out that this was the best coffee shop in miles?” Ben smirked.   
  
“You left a napkin as a bookmark.” Will held it up.   
  
“oh gods.” Ben blushed.  “I’m bad about that.  Nearest thing thin enough becomes a bookmark.”   
  
“Eh, it helped me find a place to explore, so I’m good.”   
  
“But this means you read through part of the book?” Ben grinned slightly.   
  
“Yes actually.  I had never thought of storing furniture in pieces before.  It’s a curious concept.  I guess _we’ve_ never had to do that.  But it does make sense for _them_ if you think about it.”   
  
“Makes you wonder if there’s more squibs running around than anyone knows about.” Ben nodded.  “Or if _we_ don’t give _them_ enough credit.”   
  
“In this world, my money’s on both.” Will nodded, as he walked forward with Ben as the line moved forwards.   
  
“Really?” Ben blinked.   
  
“Well it makes sense.  I mean, _we_ grew up with advantages that _they_ didn’t.  And _they_ learned things that _we_ can only barely understand.  We’re as alien to one another as any two peoples can be.  And the only real thing stopping us is fear and ignorance.” Will stepped forwards again.   
  
“How you figure?”   
  
“ _They_ fear _us_.  _We_ fear _them_.  And we both make up stupid ignorant assumptions and guesses about one another because no one wants to be the bigger person and actually put the work in.  It’s childish.  About like what you said about people need to put _things_ down and talk for a change.” Will nodded and Ben placed his order and went ahead and paid making room for Will to do the same.  “The point is, if we’d bother talking with one another we’d learn a lot.”   
  
“That’s rather enlightened.” Ben smiled.  “Not a lot of _us_ out there even amongst our own.”   
  
“There ought to be.”   
  
“What makes you say that?”   
  
“Because thinking the other way is what lead to the war in the first place.  Where a bunch of _us_ thought they were going to teach _them_ and the rest of _us_ a lesson… and all it did was cause needless destruction, death, and stupidity.  _He’s_ been a dick, twice now.  Started two wars…. And people still think some of what he stood for was even remotely right.”   
  
“Evil isn’t born in a vacuum.” Ben nodded.  “All it takes is bad decisions piling up.” He looked down.   
  
“You okay?”   
  
“Just… thinking about things I can’t change.” Ben smiled sadly.   
  
“BEN!” The barista yelled out.   
  
“Looks like I’m up, I’ll see you around.” Ben walked away and got his drink.   
  
“Interesting….” Will nodded as he waved good bye waiting for his own coffee.   
  


***

  
  
“Okay, I didn’t leave a napkin for this place in that book.” Ben chuckled as he put his shopping cart alongside Will’s.   
  
“This place I learned about from Rosy actually.  I’m having them over tonight and I needed to stock up on food.”   
  
“Whatcha making?” Ben smiled.   
  
“I have a nice soup going back at the house.  My friend is looking after it.  I need a decent meat and maybe some potatoes.”   
  
“Mixing a potion or two?” Ben glanced at some of the stuff in the cart.   
  
“Oh that’s for an old family recipe for the drinks.”   
  
“Okay….”   
  
“Swing by later, have a nip.  Trust me you’ll like it.” Will grinned.   
  
“Maybe…” Ben chuckled.   
  
“Oh come on, live a little.” Will knocked shoulders with him.  “Or you have plans tonight?”   
  
“Other than watching some telly and then reading… not really.” Ben smiled good naturedly.   
  
“No pressure, okay?” Will put his hand on Ben’s shoulder.   
  
“I… okay, if it’s no trouble…”   
  
“Good.  I’ll catch you later.” Will smiled walking off to finish his shopping; his plan was getting easier as the days weigh on.  He smiled to himself, it was almost too easy.   
  


***

  
  
“okay, either we have the same sort of schedule or we have the same sort thinking.” Will turned to the man who had been about to reach for the same wine as he was.   
  
“Okay… now… now it’s a little creepy.” Will smiled at Ben who was standing there.   
  
“Mother always said it was rude to come to call without a gift.”   
  
“I wanted something to back up in case you didn’t like the drinks.  Plus it goes with the meat I got…”   
  
“Thinking of me?” Ben smiled.   
  
“My cooking is… an acquired taste… sometimes.” Will blushed.   
  
“Couldn’t possibly be worse than my parents during the first war.” Ben sighed.   
  
“Your parents cooked?”   
  
“Oh yes.  Badly and nearly poisoned us all, but yeah.” Ben chuckled.  “Our house elves had fled.  The estate was on fire.  We were living on rations in the deepest part of the house…” Ben’s eyes got misty for a moment.  “We were _filthy_ blood traitors.  All because my sister married a muggle and I was dating one.” Ben spoke as he kept a wary eye on the shop goers.  “So they tried to rid the world of us.  It’s why I take a dim view of anyone who spouts that crap.”   
  
“After all that and your family didn’t break?” Will looked on in awe.   
  
“What’s to break?  Our morals?  Our Character?” He shook his head.  “My ancestors were against the statue of secrecy, they rallied for peace between wizards and muggles.  But… I think we all know how that one went.” He sighed heavily.  “Always on the right side of history even when it costs us everything.” His eyes went far away again.  “Gods I hate to think where they all are now…”   
  
“Your family?”   
  
“Haven’t seen them since I left.  The war didn’t change me so much as show me who I was.  In a lot of ways it showed them who they were too.  My sister staid married to her husband, they had a baby girl last I knew.  Maybe more now.  And Mother and Father… they sort of made a thing of being so anti _him_ that they capitalized on the injuries we’d suffered and rocketed themselves into high society.”   
  
“Not your cup of tea?”   
  
“Not even.” He smiled.  “I just needed to do stupid things and live.  Prove to myself that I lived, that I had survived.  I went wild… I…” He stopped his hand trembling.   
  
“Ben…?”   
  
“I… I should let you have the wine.”   
  
“No, no, it’s more important for you.” Will handed it over.   
  
“You sure?”   
  
“I’m sure.  Besides, either way it’s going to the same place.” Will smiled, put a hand on Ben’s shoulder and squeezed.  “And it’s okay.  You don’t have to push it.”   
  
“I’ve never talked about it.” His voice was hollow.   
  
“Don’t rush yourself.” Everything in Will was screaming at him, what was he thinking, telling a suspect not to talk?  Clearly Ben had been about to tell him something.  Was he going to admit to the murder?  Was he going to justify it?  No.  What happened that night haunted his dreams and had driven him to hide out here.   
  
“thanks.” Ben squeezed Will’s hand before walking off towards the cash register.  Will let him leave and waited as he picked out a few other bottles and headed up to pay.  He wasn’t sure what was going on with him now.  But he was pretty sure that something had shifted in this investigation.  No cold blooded murderer ever looked that shaken.  Whatever happened that night, whatever made him kill that Auror… Will was pretty sure it tore a piece of Ben’s soul out and made him bleed in ways that no magic could heal.  And instead of growing to have a taste for it, he’d instead seemingly run from any kind of violence.  He wasn’t sure what to say or do now.  He simply paid for his wine, and when he went to the alley way he apperated to the flat straight out.   
  
“That was unexpected.” Rosy looked up from the roast she was basting.   
  
“Ran into him at the wine shop.”   
  
“That… wasn’t on the plan.” Aaron frowned; he didn’t like it when Will went off book.   
  
“No it wasn’t.  I was shocked when we reached for the same wine.”   
  
“Is he following you or are you following him?” Aaron frowned harder.   
  
“I trailed him most of the day.  That one… that one was pure chance.”   
  
“What’s wrong?” Rosy moved out of the kitchenette.   
  
“Something he said…”   
  
“Tell us?” So he sat there and told them, everything that had happened and what was said.  In the end the other two both felt that there was something wrong here.   
  
“Should we call the old man?” Aaron looked shaken.   
  
“I don’t know.” Will bit his lip.   
  
“We need records.” Rosy looked between them.   
  
“On what?” Will frowned.   
  
“On his family, what happened during the war, what they did, what happened to them after he left.  All of it.”   
  
“She’s right.” Aaron nodded.   
  
“I’ll make the call, can you two finish up supper?”   
  
“Sure thing.” Rosy smiled, squeezing his elbow.   
  
“You just make sure you’re back in time to finish the drink.” Aaron pointed at him.   
  
“Yes sir.” Will saluted and snorted as he went into the bedroom.  He opened up a suit case and pulled out a large mirror that he touched a rune on the left hand side before a woman appeared in the mirror.   
  
“Connecting Party’s information please?”   
  
“Gerald Obavius.”   
  
“Who may I say is calling?”   
  
“Agent MacDouglas.”   
  
“One moment please.” She shimmered out of existence only for the face of his boss to show up.   
  
“Will, what’s up?”   
  
“We need additional materials….”   
  
“If Wright is asking for more beer money….”   
  
“No sir.  We need case files and follow up reports on everything to do with the Matthews and their movements during the first war, and the second.  As well as all information we can gather about their current activities and associates.”   
  
“What’s got you asking for that?” Gerald frowned.   
  
“We’ve made contact.  We’re aiming to deepen the connection and push for more information.  Background information will help inform which points to put pressure on so that we get the maximum information.”   
  
“You seem… different.” Gerald frowned.   
  
“How so sir?” Will stood straighter.   
  
“Can’t put my finger on it.  We’ll pull the files and gather what information we have on hand, we’ll even do some digging and get back to you.  But I have to ask, what do you think you’ll get with more up to date information?”   
  
“It’s just a hunch sir.  But I think we might be able to offer current information to help sweeten the deal.”   
  
“You do know that as a murder he’s face time in Azkaban.  As an Auror killer that’s the kiss pure and simple.”   
  
“Nothing about this is pure and simple.”   
  
“What do you mean?” Gerald sat up straighter.   
  
“I mean sir, that I do not believe he did the murder of his own free will.”   
  
“Are you actually trying to site the law about Imperio?” Gerald looked flabbergasted.   
  
“I do not know yet if he was mind controlled or extorted, only that my current methods for extracting information have lead to some curious new avenues of inquiry and I respectfully request the information and time to explore them fully.”   
  
“I hope you know what you’re doing Will…”   
  
“I hope so too sir.” Will nodded as the mirror went dark and he put it away, before heading back out to start making the drinks he’d promised for tonight.  He updated the others about what had happened and they spend the time before Ben’s knock at the door wondering what to make of all this.


	5. A Trap.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben and Will are just beginning to heat up when it’s time to make the move to gaining more information.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For future information, the city they’re located in is generally believed to be set in Kaiapit in Papua New Guinea inside the Monsoon zone, which is an area on the planet that is roughly near the equator that is the only parts of the planet that experience Monsoons. Just going to put that here so that you can look it up if you want or not. But so that you know where this is in my head. Now as for my city verses the real thing, yeah I’m taking creative liberties with this one. Just going to clear that up now.

“Hey. “ Ben grinned as he knocked on the door only for it to open to Will’s apartment, holding the bottle of wine in front of him.  “I hope I’m not too late.”   
  
“Naw, you’re right on time.” Will moved away from the door and welcomed Ben inside, before closing the doors behind him.  “You know my friends Rosy and Aaron.”   
  
“Perfectly dry today.” Ben smiled to Aaron who snorted.   
  
“Not for lack of trying.” He glared at the window.   
  
“Apperated?” Ben asked as he sat down.   
  
“Yeah pretty much.  It’s the only way I’ve found to stay dry.” Aaron sighed.  “I’ve got locations around town that are decently protected from the elements, a small charm before hand to make sure no one’s in that spot or around it…. Can’t go violating the statue of secrecy.” He sighed.   
  
“Kaiapit isn’t for the faint of heart with the weather.” Ben chuckled.   
  
“What brought you here?” Aaron tilted his head.   
  
“Mostly needed to be as far away from England as I could be and still be able to understand people without translator spells.” Ben smiled.   
  
“I can understand that.  We’re from south of here.  Moved up North for the Mrs.” Aaron nodded at Rosy.   
  
“How’d you know about this place, as far as I know I was the only wizard in the area?” Ben turned to Rosy.   
  
“Muggle family members, we used to vacation up here in Guinea.  And I loved the way things look, between the forests and the landscape this place is so beautiful.  I always said I’d live here one day...  And since our parents are only a portkey away or a communication spell if I want to see them without traveling.”   
  
“Makes sense.  How’d you end up picking Kaiapit though?  If you don’t mind me asking.”   
  
“Oh that’s easy.  It’s the local plant life.” Rosy smiled brightly.   
  
“Plant life?”   
  
“Only place remotely close where she can get those god awful monsters.” Aaron sighed, his words dripping of an old argument between them.   
  
“They are not monsters.” She scolded him.   
  
“What would you call a four foot tall pitcher plant that has a taste for pig meat and needs a few gallons of water a day so it can fill it’s massive tendrils to stuff itself with it’s favorite food or the nearest thing about the size of a pig?” Aaron turned to Ben.   
  
“Uh… scary I guess?”   
  
“I rest my case.” Aaron turned back to Rosy with a triumphant grin.   
  
“You describe them like that anyone would say they were monsters.” Rosy glared.   
  
“That’s because they are honey.” Aaron patted her leg.   
  
“They’re vital to my work.”   
  
“What do you do?” Ben tilted his head.   
  
“I’m a researcher working on potion ingredients and possible magical cores for wands.”   
  
“You think this _creature_ …. Is a means to both?” Ben started fixing his plate as Will indicated that the meal was ready.   
  
“They produce the vines, what my husband calls tendrils, and they’re highly magical.  The sap from it has properties similar to the ingredients in most growing potions, so it might work as a great new source of growing potions.  But it’s the fact that when the vines are dried, that they act almost like a wand themselves that has me convinced that they can be utilized for wandcraft.”   
  
“That’s be interesting… have you been practicing with them?”   
  
“oh boy.” Aaron pinched the bridge of his nose, picking up his beer.  “You did it now.”   
  
“What?”   
  
“I’m not that bad.” Rosy glared at him, giving him a little shove.   
  
“Yes, yes you are.  And this is entirely your fault.” He smirked at Ben before going to fix a plate.   
  
“uh…” Ben blushed.   
  
“I have a sample if you want to try it.” Rosy went to her purse and pulled out a thin vine that looked almost like a twig, she held it out to Ben and he shrugged, taking a hold of it and instantly he could feel the magic.  Not in it like a wand, but all over it, every inch of it was radiating power and he could feel how more _alive_ the magic felt.   
  
“wow…”   
  
“Yeah, now imagine people being matched with wands either made of or with cores of this.”   
  
“And it works okay?”   
  
“Almost as good as my own wand.  I’m just… not the best at wand crafting.  Give me the core and the research and I can tell you what it’ll do and what it says about the person who can use it.  But… actually making a wand is outside my purview.”   
  
“What should I try?” Ben grinned at Rosy, turning to Will.   
  
“Nothing big… I blew up their kitchen trying to figure out how to use it.” Will shook his head.   
  
“Okay.” Ben bit his lip thinking, then smiling as he pointed the wand at his empty cup.  “Fudge.” He flicked the wand, and a green and pink light fell from the end of the wand and hit the red solo cup before it transmuted into a cup made of fudge.  “I was aiming to fill the cup, but transmuting plastic to fudge…  not a bad bit of magic.” He handed her back the wand, breaking off a piece of the fudge cup and licking it.  “ew…” He shivered.   
  
“What’s wrong?” Will frowned.   
  
“Plastic flavored fudge.” Ben offered him a piece.   
  
“No thanks, you created the abomination, I’m just going to throw it out.”   
  
“With my blessing” Ben pushed the cup to Will who tossed it in the bin.  “I’m going to go get a drink and try this family secret drink.”   
  
“It’s right over there.” Will pointed, glancing at Rosy who put the wand in a rune covered cloth and sealed it shut.  They both knew it would isolate the wand and with the spells woven into the cloth, isolate his magical signature, as well as gage other factors about him.  But the look Rosy gave him told him about what he’d suspected.  There wasn’t a lot of malice in Ben Matthews, and he was starting to suspect that they needed to invent a way to tell if someone had been Imperioed.   
  
“Do I want to know what’s in this?”Ben held up the glass of strangely purple liquid with a floating copper leaf like substance floating through the liquid and catching the light.   
  
“Not if you want to be able to drink it.”Will smiled.   
  
“Right…”He sipped the drink, blinking as the liquid seemed to vaporize on his tongue and fill his mouth with a flavor that tasted like raw wonderment.  “How…?” He blinked.   
  
“Aspect capturing.  No one’s sure how they do it.  But his family figured out how to make obscure aspects like wonderment, happiness, and what have you, and make it into a flavor.” Rosy glared at Will, an indication that she didn’t like not knowing this secret.   
  
“I went with the sublimation of it into a gas because if it remained a liquid it tends to make the person drinking it get drunk with wild wonderment and in one case the subject becomes incapable of coming back to normal reality.” Will blushed, as Ben turned to him.   
  
“How would…”   
  
“His Uncle wanted to see what happened if you made it as pure as you could.” Aaron shook his head.  “He drank it himself, figuring he’d need accurate input… he’s been in a state of pure wild wonderment that leaves him sort of… “ Aaron tried to explain.   
  
“It leaves him unable to live a normal life.” Will finished.  “He was a good guy, but now you can be talking to him and a stray piece of dust in the air will draw his attention and he’ll follow it through the room remarking on the tiny people dancing on it.”   
  
“I’m so sorry.” Ben felt his face heat from the unexpected shame of asking.   
  
“No harm in asking.” Will smiled.  “But yeah, I dilute my drinks for this reason.” He smiled again.  “Can’t have you too fascinated with the flatware to hold a conversation.”   
  
“Well to be fair… it is nice flatware.” Ben grinned, Will grinned back and Aaron gave Ben a small shove.   
  
“I like you.  You’re going to fit in around here just fine.” Aaron smiled brightly.   
  


***

  
  
“What’s the result?” Will looked up at Rosy.  Ben had gone home and they’d been calling it a night when he left.  Aaron went to work fact checking anything that Ben had told them while Rosy apperated home to get the samples tested.   
  
“His magic is a dead on match.” She sighed.   
  
“So that proves he did it.” Aaron frowned.   
  
“But not why?” Will frowned as he got up and started pacing his living room before noticing the look that the pair on the sofa were giving each other and himself.  “What?” He paused.   
  
“We’re just wondering…” Aaron started.   
  
“Why does it matter so much?” Rosy bit her lip.   
  
“What do you mean?”   
  
“We know he did it.  We have dual proof he did it.  Both visual records and now a magic sample test.  We’re sure it was him.  The why doesn’t matter.”   
  
“It should.  If he was…”   
  
“If he was Imperioed?” Aaron finished.  “Mate, listen, you know the drill as well as we do.  If he was imperioed, or controlled in anyway that’s for the courts to decide. But he’s not going to the court system.  He’s going to go to the chamber, get his information extracted, and after that he’ll no longer be capable of sustaining brain functions let alone standing trial.”   
  
“But… there is no way _that_ man did … _that_ … on his own.” Will raised his voice.   
  
“You’re grasping for straws and we’re worried about you.” Aaron shouted over his friend and stood up in front of him.   
  
“And what’s _that_ supposed to mean?”   
  
“Will, you’re into him.” Rosy crossed her arms.   
  
“No I’m not… I…”   
  
“If we gave you the option, of dragging him in for an integration right now and getting what we want out of him or you _dating_ him to earn his trust… which would you go with?”   
  
“Earning his trust…” Will looked at them like they’d lost their minds.   
  
“Even knowing that the easiest and fastest way to get Harb off the streets is through interrogation?”` Aaron sighed.   
  
“I think I’m almost there…” Will blushed.   
  
“Right… we’re off to bed.” Rosy stood up.   
  
“Really?” Will frowned, confused at the sudden change of things.   
  
“Yeah, it’s late.  We’ll sleep and talk soon.” She smiled and took Aaron by the collar and they apperated out leaving Will alone to think on things.   
  


***

  
  
“What the bloody fucking hell was that?!?” Aaron shouted as they landed in their flat.   
  
“He’s enamored.”   
  
“Yeah and we need to get him off this…”   
  
“He needs to get it out of his system or it’ll just build up.”   
  
“you want him to get laid?” Aaron gaped at her.   
  
“Yes.  I think they sleeping together is a horrible idea, but short of that how exactly do you propose we get him over his crush and back to seeing that the job comes first.”   
  
“I don’t know…” Aaron sat down hard, the fight drained out of him.   
  
“Exactly.  We’re objective on this one.  We both like him… but…”   
  
“Long run it really doesn’t matter that he’s a good guy.  He murdered an Auror.” Aaron nodded.   
  
“Yeah…” She sighed, shoulders sagging as she headed off to towards the other room.   
  
“Bed?”   
  
‘Yeah.  The paper work will be here in the morning and I want to start going through shit.  Maybe I’m looking for a reason not to like him.  Maybe I’m hoping I’ll find something that picks apart his story.  I don’t know.  I’m just… I’m tired and I’m going to pass out.”   
  
“I’ll be in after bit.” Aaron nodded and Rosy went and lay down.  Once the door was closed Aaron pulled his wand out.  “Locate.” A map of the town appeared in the air and a small dot indicated where Will was at.  He’d managed to slip a spell tracker on Will when he was giving him playful shoves throughout the night.  A small read out appeared next to the dot listing every spell cast with in a hundred feet of his body.  A few typical spells showed up and then a list of the stuff they’d cast in Will’s apartment.  He set a spell up to track what was cast and by who.  Once that was set, he stood up and stressed, shedding clothes and heading towards his own bed to rest.  In the morning he’d leave Rosy to her research and pop over to Will’s to talk to him.   
  
“I’m not dragging him into an interrogation this early.” Will stated clearly.   
  
“Of course your not.  I want you to start fucking him.”   
  
“Excuse me?”   
  
“I need to get in his apartment and do some things, you can either start a sexual relationship with him to buy me the time or you can go out on dates.  Either way, I need him out of the building for a couple hours, or at least his place.” Aaron smiled.   
  
“You… but last night.”   
  
“More data points, the better informed we are.”   
  
“Okay… something about this feels off now.”   
  
“If he has any kinky stuff I’ll tell you.” Aaron smirked fixing himself some coffee.   
  
“You’re evil.”   
  
“You’re going to do what you’re going to do so… go date him, sleep with him, get the needs out of your head so you can think clearly, and with this head.” He tapped Will’s skull.  “Because down low’s not been seeing much action.”   
  
“And just how would you…”   
  
“Because I shared a bedroom with you growing up.  I know what you’re like.” He put a hand on Will’s shoulder.  “You need to blow off steam.  So blow off some steam.”   
  
“You’re really telling me to go get laid.”   
  
“Either by him or some random hook up.  You need to get laid, it’ll clear your head.  I’d prefer it was somehow able to write it off as research, but who knows.  Anyways, give us a sign when you two head out and I’ll see what I can dig up.”   
  
“why are you pushing this?” Will narrowed his eyes.   
  
“Because I’m just a horny slag.” Aaron smiled.   
  
“That I believe.” Will muttered.   
  
“Yep.  Now, you go get things setup.  I’ll make myself scarce, you get you some progress.”   
  
“I guess I can try to get set up with a run.”   
  
“Go.  Run.  Have fun.” Aaron waved his hand sitting down to drink his coffee.   
  
“Why do I not trust this?”   
  
“Because I’m being chipper.  You don’t trust me chipper.”   
  
“Uh huh.”   
  
“Also I’m eating this little confused distrustfulness on your part up.” Aaron smirked.   
  
“I hate you sometimes.” Will spelled his clothes into being his running clothes.   
  
“Yep.  And then there’s the whole me telling you to get laid so that it means I’ll know you got laid.  And that pisses you off too.” He smirked.   
  
“you’re evil.” Will narrowed his eyes.   
  
“Eh, somedays you have to be underhanded.” Aaron smirked.   
  
“Don’t leave a mess.” Will left the apartment.   
  
“And so it starts.” Aaron smiled.  He setup his tracking spell again and watched as Will went up and went to Ben’s apartment, giving him the understanding where Ben’s place was.  He waited for them to head out and quietly walked up to the apartment door, a spell to make him unseen up in place he waved his wand and let Ben’s wards become visible.   
  
“well holy shit.” He stood there looking at the massive layers of spells on the door.  “Either you’re into something dark as fuck, or you’re worried about people sneaking in.” He started the task of picking the spells open so he could get in.   
  


***

  
  
“Thank the gods it’s a light rain today.” Will stretched at the stop a block away.   
  
“Thanks for last night.  I didn’t know how much I needed that till after I got home and realized how happy I was I went.” Ben smiled.   
  
“I’m glad you came too.” Will smiled.   
  
“Do you have plans today?”   
  
“After coffee… a little bit.”   
  
“Oh, whatcha got planned?”   
  
“It’s embarrassing.”   
  
“Oh?” Ben grinned.  “And what would _that_ be?”   
  
“Aaron thinks I need to get laid.”   
  
“…. Uh…?” Ben blinked.   
  
“I haven’t like hired a prostitute or something.  I figured I’d just devote the afternoon to getting off.”   
  
“You don’t just… _you know_ ….?” Ben frowned.   
  
“Wanking isn’t really my style.”   
  
“So…?”   
  
“I’ll probably create a lover out of a soft sheet or something…”   
  
“Really?” Ben chuckled.   
  
“Well unless you want to join me.”   
  
“… uh……” Ben blinked.   
  
“Listen.  I know you’ve only met a day or two ago.  But we’re both blokes, we’re both into blokes.  Maybe we could explore helping each other out in that department… unless you’re not into me… or you have someone…”   
  
“You’re into me?” Ben blushed.   
  
“Yeah.  Are you?”   
  
“into me?” Ben grinned and Will swatted at him as he ducked away.   
  
“Cunt.”   
  
“I’m into you.” Ben agreed as he jogged around Will before he leaned in close.   
  
“So back to mine?” Will bit his lip.   
  
“Coffee first… then back to yours…”   
  
“Coffee…”   
  
“Coffee.” Ben nodded.  “And then maybe a shower… together.” He smirked as he jogged away leaving Will to blink back the rain and question the lump in his shorts that was leaving nothing to the imagination while he was this wet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you would like to talk to me about commissions, please contact me @ Notsalony on tumblr and I’ll be happy to talk to you about the commissions.

**Author's Note:**

> Five chapters to this, thus far.
> 
> If you're interested in talking about commissions, please do so by contacting me @ Notsalony on tumblr.


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